Decorative automotive wheels for mounting tires have enjoyed recent popularity. So called “alloy wheels” often feature distinctive designs and highly polished metal surfaces. Such wheels can be very expensive. The exposed circular outboard peripheral edge of the wheel, also known as the “rim” is located to directly support the outboard circular inner bead of a tire. Thus the rim is positioned to inadvertently contact the raised curbs at the side of a road during a parking maneuver. Such contact can result in unsightly dents and scratches being formed on the exposed outer surface of the rim.
As disclosed in Hameed U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,212 (hereinafter “Hameed”), a broken plastic ring can be mounted to the wheel to act as a protective shield over the rim.
Unfortunately, such a device can suffer from some drawbacks. First, it can be difficult to adequately secure the ring to the wheel. Hameed shows a flange portion (20 in FIG. 2) which extends axially inwardly between the tire and the wheel. So placing a layer of material between the tire and wheel can lead to improper contact between the tire and wheel leading to deflation, and or slippage.
Further, the rigorous environment of automobile wheels can quickly wear plastic parts. Automotive wheels are often subjected to wide variations in temperatures, pressures, strong centrifugal forces at high vehicle speeds, shocks, water etc. Temperature variations can cause differential expansion or contraction between the wheel rim and a ring made from a material having a different coefficient of thermal expansion. Such differences in expansion/contraction can lead to separations and misalignments of the ring with respect to the wheel.
As disclosed in Gewecke, U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,684, an extruded flexible decorative trim attachment can be secured to the wheel by deflating the tire to substantially atmospheric pressure in order to work the flexible anchor portion into space between the tire and rim. Deflating the tire in this way is a task more suited to a mechanic in a professional automotive garage rather than a home user.
Both the Hameed and Gewecke devices are oblong extrusion-type structures that result in a break where the ends meet to form the ring. The presence of the break can lead to the formation of gaps, overlaps or buckling which can be both unsightly and lead to the capturing of dirt or other fouling which reduces the protective ability of the device and can lead to its dislodgement from the wheel.
Increasingly, automotive accessories are being installed by relatively unskilled technicians or end users who may have little experience in mounting tires to wheels. Therefore, the device needs to be relatively simple to install to ensure adequate and more consistent installation.
Therefore there is a need for a decorative wheel rim protector which addresses some or all of the above identified inadequacies.